07/10/2002

Presided over by French-Canadian singer, Robert Charlesbois, the Namur French-language film festival jury gave the Bayard D’Or award – and Euros 5000 cash – to Rachida, an Algerian film directed by Yamina Bachir Chouikh. The Special Jury Prize went to Ricardo Trogi for Québec-Montréal and he also won the screenplay Bayard D’Or that was presented by SACD (Societé des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques). Hend Sabri and Ahmed Hafiane won Golden Bayards for their acting in Nouri Bouzid’s Poupées d’argille (Tunisia/France/ Marocco) while TV5, the international French-language TV channel rewarded Si-Gueriki – La Reign Mère by Idrissou Mora Kpai with the best documentary prize and Euros 6000. The film was co-produced by France and Benin and the award includes TV5’s buying the broadcast rights for worldwide transmission. The Namur audience’s favourite film was A + Pollux by French director Luc Pagès.
A jury of French, Belgian and Dutch film industry professionals decided that Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne’s Le Fils will represent Belgium in the next best foreign film Oscar race, scheduled for 23 March in LA. Le Fils was presented at the New York festival and will be distributed in the US by New Yorker Films.